Does Europe Have the Courage to Defeat ISIS?

Benjamin Franklin once said, “He who fails to plan, plans to fail.” There could be no truer words spoken in the area of terrorism. With fresh attacks rocking Europe, and no leadership coming from America, what will Europe and the rest of the world do to defend themselves?

The triple terrorist bombings that killed at least 31 people on Tuesday
morning in the heart of Brussels — the European Union’s capital — prompted a swift reactions from European leaders, with France’s prime minister declaring that “we are at war” and Britain’s prime minister asserting that “we will never let these terrorists win.”

And here is the problem. What do these statements mean? We knew what they meant when they were spoken in Churchill’s day. We knew a hundred years before that even. What seems to elude us is what does being at war and winning that war look like.

The reason is simple. We have sat back in our armchairs, arrogant and smug, and cast judgments on history and the decisions made in a different time. We feel sorry for the Japanese, who were bussed into camps. This has made us swear never to make this cruel mistake again, but at what cost?

Is 250 plus dead and wounded high enough a price to feel good about ourselves? What about the thousands who have lost their lives just since 9/11? When will we finally realize that there are people who hate us and will stop at nothing to destroy all that we have built?

These leaders are speaking boldly about their commitment to fighting a war. What are they willing to do to win that war? It is not enough to recognize that you are fighting a war, you actually have to fight to win.

Will they, with us, have the will to say that they we never give in the fascism of our age? Will they, like Churchill before them, swear never to surrender?